Connecting Cities at Ars Electronica Festival 2015

Connecting Cities is an international network of urban media institutions aiming to build up a connected infrastructure of urban media environments such as media facades, urban screens, and projection sites to circulate socio-cultural content and create scenarios for participatory city-making. About Invisible and Visible Cities With the curatorial theme of "In/Visible Cities," the Connecting Cities Network wants to develop an awareness of the hybrid structures, data, and technologies driving today's cities but hardly visible to the eye. "In/Visible Cities" will visualize the embedded, "smart" urban infrastructures in three artistic scenarios for the citizens to explore in public environments: "Digital Citizens," "Hybrid City," and "Translocality." With each topic, the network will develop new artistic forms and strategies to visualise the digitisation of our cities. More here September 3–7 Connecting Cities @ Ars Electronica "POST CITY: Habitats for the 21st Century" is the theme of Ars Electronica 2015. The Connecting Cities symposium takes place on September 3 and 4, featuring Dietmar Offenhuber, holder of this year's Connecting Cities Network Residency at Ars Electronica Future Lab, and Derrick de Kerckhove as keynote speakers, as well as a panel discussion with Susa Pop (Public Art Lab, Connecting Cities Initiator,) Nerea Calvillo (Medialab Prado), Mike Stubbs (FACT), and Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University). Also, AEC stages the Visible City 2015 Facade Event, showcasing four Connecting Cities artworks developed in the Connecting Cities residency program. More here September 23–25, October 1–2 Connecting Cities @ iMAL Brussels Workshop and performance: September 23–25 Workshop and public intervention: October 1–2 Aiming to catalyse public debate surrounding in/visible urban infrastructures, the Center for Digital Cultures and Technology will host workshops and urban interventions by Connecting Cities artist Ricardo O'Nascimiento, with his project Wearable Facade, and Connecting Cities artists Mark Shepard, Julian Oliver and Moritz Stefaner, with their project False Positive. More here September 11 Connecting Cities @ Medialab-Prado Madrid This (In)Visible Cities event presents Open Urban Television (OUT) by Connecting Cities artists Rodrigo Delso Gutiérrez and Alberto Gómez Saiz, as wel as the Hidden Histories project by Soenke Zehle, Simon Worthintong, Henrik Elburn and Loraine Furter. More here October 8–11 Connecting Cities @ CITY VISIONS JENA In the framework of the International UNESCO Year of Light, the Connecting Cities Network and Public Art Lab have been invited by the City of Jena to develop a new light and science festival. For the participatory co-creation of the festival program, the CITY VISIONS LAB was established to foster exchange and transfer knowledge between optical technology developers and cultural actors in Jena, as well as international media artists. Transforming the city of lights Jena into an urban laboratory, CITY VISIONS JENA Festival investigates the applications and impacts of invisible technologies through interactive light installations. More here October 9–25 Connecting Cities @ Urban Lights Ruhr The Connecting Cities Network cooperates with Urbane Künste Ruhr, producing and presenting works by Andrea Polli, Ricardo O'Nascimento, Mark Shepard, Ghana Think Tank, and Sweatshoppe. More here November 6–15 Connecting Cities @ Amber Istanbul amber'15 is a collaboratively curated festival featuring artworks produced by the Connecting Cities Network. More here December 11–13 Connecting Cities @ FACT Liverpool During "Follow," FACT hosts workshops and urban interventions by Connecting Cities artists Mark Shepard, Julian Oliver, and Moritz Stefaner, with their project False Positive. More herewww.connectingcities.net/